The young man was standing outside KFC in Port Shepstone chatting to a friend. It was one of those days when the icy winds whipped along the coast, bending trees and frothing up the ocean.
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He probably didn’t expect an extra gust on what was already an extraordinarily windy afternoon, with light drizzle joining the show. The R50 note he was holding was plucked from his fingers by the huffing-puffing south-westerly. It fluttered in the air a few times as the young man grabbed at it and missed. Then it was blown across the tiles. He tried to stop the flapping note with his foot but it was swept around the corner.
He gave chase. The wind played the game and upped its intensity, blowing the R50 further away. It was now in the secondary road near the South Coast Herald. He trotted after it, reaching down to grab it but each time he did this the wind seemed to blow it just out of reach, like a young woman playing hard to get with a guy she likes. When the R50 reached the open area, it was lifted skywards and blown onto the main road.
Cars, trucks and buses raced by as the note paused cautiously for a rest on the white line.
Its owner hesitated not. He leapt over the barrier and dodged through the traffic with side-stepping abilities that reminded one of Springbok wing Cheslin Kolbe. At exactly the same time that the note gained wings again and flew into the thick grass leading down to the Mzimkhulu river.
By now the rain was coming down hard enough to cause folk to scurry indoors. The last I saw was the note being blown under the bridge somewhere, with the young man disappearing out of sight behind it, followed by two friends. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. I think a lot of South Africans feel that way at the moment. It was funny, I can’t lie, but also sad that someone may have lost some hard-earned cash. With my shirt drenched, I didn’t stay to watch the outcome, so was not sure whether or not the man recovered his lion. Whatever the case, it reminded me of how determined the people of South Africa can be. We face tremendous difficulties every day, yet there is the spirit to soldier on, even when we suffer loss and disappointment.
I’m not sure there’s another nation that can withstand some of the hardships we have and still retain a sense of humour. At a time where Covid-19, crime and corruption dominate headlines, we need our people to unite like never before. We also need authorities to hunt down those allegedly poaching our lions (public money) and stick them behind bars.
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